Class Notes

Zim Olson, SECS ’79

Zim Olson, SECS ’79, was featured at the Mathematical Association of America Centennial Math Fest in Washington, D.C., where more than 2,500 attended.

Robert Schostak, BGS ’78

Robert Schostak, BGS ’78, was appointed to serve on the Oakland University Board of Trustees. He served as chair of the Michigan GOP from 2011 to 2014. In 2015, Schostak started the Templar Baker Group, LLC, and continues to be active in the commercial real estate business.

Timothy G. Wiedman, CAS ’76

Timothy G. Wiedman, CAS ’76, became a full-time college business professor for 28 years after graduation. He later completed a DBA degree and retired as a tenured associate professor of management and human resources from Doane College in Crete, Nebraska, in 2014. Wiedman resides in Ionia, Michigan, and teaches part-time in the MBA program at Davenport University in Grand Rapids.

Gary Wozniak, CAS ’76

Gary Wozniak, CAS ’76, is CEO and founder of Recovery Park, which was established to grow food commercially inside the city of Detroit. Recovery Park’s profits support SHAR (Self Help Addiction Rehabilitation) and provide employment for recovering addicts and ex-offenders.
http://www.recoverypark.org/

Juliane Bauer, CAS ’85

Juliane Bauer, CAS ’85, said that her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry prepared her well for a career in research and development. Employed in the pharmaceutical industry for 30 years since graduation, Bauer was recently hired as a senior scientist in formulation research and development in the Consumer Healthcare Division at Perrigo Co. PLC, in Allegan, Michigan. In this role, Bauer develops, tests and scales up formulations for commercial production. She has earned a variety of industry awards during her career. Bauer is from Detroit and currently resides in Kalamazoo.

Kathleen M. (Sheats) Malloch SBA ’85

Kathleen M. (Sheats) Malloch, SBA ’85, published her 12th book, The Career Handoff: A healthcare leader’s guide to knowledge and wisdom transfer across generations, with co-author Tim Porter-O’Grady. Six of Malloch’s books have received prestigious awards. These include Managing for Success in Healthcare; Quantum Leader: The new world of work; and Innovation leadership: Creating the landscape of healthcare.

David M. Robinson, CAS ’87

David M. Robinson, CAS ’87, was appointed chair of the Western Golf Association, the first chair from Michigan since 1997. He was previously a WGA director. He is married to Judy Robinson and has three daughters.

Dr. Greg Smith, SEHS ’81

Dr. Greg Smith, SEHS ’81, superintendent of Clear Creek Independent School District, will be honored by the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership with its prestigious 2016 Quasar Award for Exceptional Leadership in Economic Development. Under his guidance, student performance has increased in all state indicators as well as college entrance exams. Today, Clear Creek ISD is considered one of the largest high performing school districts in Texas.

Dr. Susan M. Bowyer, Ph.D. CAS ’98

Dr. Susan M. Bowyer, Ph.D., CAS ’98, was elected to the District 3 seat in the Rochester Hills City Council. Dr. Bowyer’s community service includes serving as board president of one of Rochester Hills’ largest subdivisions for the past seven years. Dr. Bowyer has also been engaged in protecting Rochester Hills’ parks and in ensuring that public voices are heard in decisions affecting those public properties.

Jill (Boggess) Gaitens, SEHS ’90

Jill (Boggess) Gaitens, SEHS ’90, earned a doctoral degree in educational leadership and policy at the College of William & Mary. She is a community affairs director for the Military Child Education Coalition in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia and a Governor's Appointee on Virginia Interstate Compact Council for Educational Opportunity for Military Dependent Children.

Jeffery S. Matis, SBA ’90

Jeffery S. Matis, SBA ’90, was appointed by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder to become a judge on the Oakland County Circuit Court. Prior to his appointment, Judge Matis served as vice chair of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners, was a full time litigation attorney for over 20 years, and was an adjunct professor of law at Western Michigan University’s Cooley Law School.

Phil Szuba, SECS ’98, ’93 and ’91

Phil Szuba, SECS ’98, ’93 and ’91, was named corporate officer of Spectrum Brands Holdings (NYSE:SPB) and senior vice president and general manager of their Hardware and Home Improvement Division. For seven years before his promotion, Szuba was vice president of engineering and chief operating officer. He resides in Orange County, California, with his wife, Cindy, and three children.

Sharon Valenti, SON ’97 and ’93

Sharon Valenti, SON ’97 and ’93, has written her first novel, Deliver Us from Honor. The epic tale of 1911 Sicilian life details the struggles the peasants overcame to defeat centuries of feudalism and the emergence of the Mafia.

Delores A. Flagg, SEHS ’03

Delores A. Flagg, SEHS ’03, received the 2016 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Community Service Award as part of the MLK Holiday Celebration in Southfield, Michigan. Flagg is a Southfield arts educator and community activist who has been involved with numerous organizations over the years.

Kristen Gibson, CAS ’06

Kristen Gibson, CAS ’06, published print and e-book editions of Red Ochre Falls in December 2015. Her husband is an engineer in the automotive industry and they have two young children.

Matt Milkovie, SBA ’05

Matt Milkovie, SBA ’05, CPA, was named senior manager of Rehmann’s audit and assurance department. He will primarily serve financial institutions and manufacturing middle-market clients. Since launching his accounting career in 2005, Milkovie has worked with privately and publicly traded companies in advisory roles. He also previously served as Securities and Exchange Commission reporting manager of a publicly held company. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants (MICPA). He is also vice chair of the MICPA’s CPE Mega Conference.

Alex Morton, SCAS ’04

Alex Morton, CAS ’04, joined the Peace Corps in Paraguay after hearing an OU Anthropology professor speak of his experiences in the Peace Corps. Morton went to Israel to study archeology and has visited 20 countries so far.
Read more about Alex.

Tracey (Meldrum) Volltrauer, CAS ’00

Tracey (Meldrum) Volltrauer, CAS ’00, joined Dart Appraisal as the vendor coordinator in 2010 and became the company’s first vendor manager in 2012. She has been promoted to director of compliance and is now a member of the Dart executive team.

Jacquelyn Wagner, CAS ’03

Jacquelyn Wagner, CAS ’03, has enjoyed a highly successful career as an opera singer in Europe. She will sing the leading female role in Die Meistersinger at La Scala next season. After graduating from OU, Wagner attended and graduated from the Manhattan School of Music, where she studied with Mignon Dunn, a leading American dramatic mezzo-soprano.
http://www.jacquelynwagner.com/

Nicolette Book, CAS ’14

Nicolette Book, CAS ’14, was a finalist from among 11 singers for the Kentucky District in the Mid-South Region for the 2015-16 Metropolitan Opera auditions and received an Encouragement Award in the Mid-South regionals on Feb. 6. Book, a soprano, is pursuing a Master of Music degree at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. She performed the National Anthem at all three December Commencement ceremonies in 2012 at OU.

Soprano Nicolette Book performs Marietta's Lied from Erich Korngold's Die Tote Stadt, performed with the Oakland Symphony Orchestra. Conductor, Dr. Gregory Cunningham. 2013.

Cindy Clos, SON ’11

Cindy Clos, SON ’11, was promoted to associate director of clinical services at Arbor Hospice and Palliative Care in Ann Arbor, Michigan. A member of the nonprofit's operations team, Clos oversees Arbor's service delivery in community-based assisted living and nursing facilities, and ensures that clinical services and admissions align with the organization’s goals.

Lauren Knox, CAS ’12

Lauren Knox, CAS ’12, who has served as an apprentice at the Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea, Michigan, is directing the theatre’s production of The Odd Couple. The production opened January 21 and runs through March 26.

Christopher Naglik, CAS ’13

Christopher Naglik, CAS ’13, was featured in BYOB (Bring Your Own Beamer) art show at North End Studios in Detroit with his most recent piece of animation artwork. His work has also been featured in Corpus Illuminata: An Anatomic Interpretation at the Tangent Gallery in Detroit in August 2015, and The Sexuality Art and Variety Show at the Phoenix Café in Hazel Park, Michigan, in February 2015.

Ann Toomey, CAS ’14

Ann Toomey, CAS ’14, is the Central Regional winner of this year’s national Metropolitan Opera auditions and will appear on the Metropolitan Opera stage in New York City on March 6, 2016, in the semifinals. Toomey was also the only soprano admitted to next year's Chicago Lyric Young Artist Program. She is pursuing a Master of Music in Voice Performance at University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music. Ann Toomey performs Tre sonetti di Petrarca: Pace non trovo

Gottfried Brieger, Ph.D., professor emeritus, Organic Chemistry

Gottfried Brieger, Ph.D., professor emeritus, Organic Chemistry, celebrated his 80th birthday in style at Meadow Brook Hall on November 22, 2015. The family provided entertainment and for dessert, besides the cake, delicious encomiums were served. Prof. Brieger joined MSU-O in 1963 and retired in 2015. He has since been teaching one class a year in the Honors College.